Getting serious about cyber security. 2013 is the year that the hand wringing ends and action begins. The Federal government is an unwieldy behemoth that takes tremendous effort to turn. 2012 was the year that the cyber threat was finally comprehended from the top down. In 2013 IT departments throughout the Fed space will put aside their petty jockying more more funding and invest in real security capabilities. Pet projects may have to be put on hold while systems, data, and communications are secured.

2013 is the year of cyber Pearl Harbor. Leon Panetta uttered the words in 2012. The reality will strike in 2013. There are so many factions anxiously awaiting a cyber incident that will justify immediate passage of a cyber security bill that the first outage of a power grid that can be attributed to poor security practices will be used to create and pass legislation.

The Pentagon will continue to ramp up its cyber offense capability while DHS will continue to struggle to define its role in critical infrastructure defense. At least the Pentagon controls its networks and cyber assets. DHS does not have jurisdiction over their own domain.